Panetta reveals new prostitute case

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta revealed Tuesday during a trip to Brazil that several Marines were punished for an incident involving a prostitute in Brasilia last year.

Panetta told reporters that three Marines and one U.S. Embassy staffer were reprimanded for an incident that involved reportedly pushing a prostitute out of a vehicle following a disagreement about payment, The Associated Press reports.

Story Continued Below

“Where it takes place you can be sure that we will act to make sure that they are punished and that that kind of behavior is not acceptable,” Panetta told reporters, according to the AP, noting that he had “no tolerance” for this kind of behavior.

A defense official said the woman involved in the December incident was pushed out of a car after she started fighting with Marines, and when she tried to get back into the vehicle, she fell and was injured as a result, the wire said. The woman was reportedly paid back for her medical expenses by the American embassy, and two of the involved Marines had their ranks reduced while the embassy staff member is no longer at his post.

Details of this episode in Brazil come as the White House is still reeling from the Secret Service prostitution scandal that took place in Cartagena prior to President Barack Obama’s recent trip to Colombia. This investigation is ongoing, with several agents having already lost their jobs.